China: Fluctuation in ginger and garlic prices after holidays

Core Tip: Onions and garlic are cooking essentials, but during the first half of this year the highest price for a kilogram of garlic in Wuhan city was 24 RMB (3.08 EUR).

Onions and garlic are cooking essentials, but during the first half of this year the highest price for a kilogram of garlic in Wuhan city was 24 RMB (3.08 EUR).

Unfortunately, after the long vacation for the National Holiday, the price dropped rapidly, causing some stores to sell at exactly the indicated price: 20 RMB (2.57 EUR) for 1.5 kilogram. However, the price for fresh ginger has started to double. Garlic has become an important cash crop for a lot of provinces and cities in northern China, but in Wuhan it does not belong to the main category of plantation crops. In Wuhan garlic is only an ingredient so the cultivation areas are naturally smaller. Garlic in Wuhan is mostly imported from external sources.

According to reports, this year's domestic garlic was generally produced during the bumper harvest in the northern region. Total outputs are increasing and market supply exceeds demand, causing the price for garlic to drop. On the other hand, some owners turned to the old garlic in their storehouses and consequently felt the impact when new garlic hit the market and prices steeply fell again. The production regions for garlic are also in northern China. In the past couple of years the price was rather low and the depth in the growers' activities caused a reduction in production, so the price for ginger this year has gone up again because supply is limited.